As we move toward winter, the natural landscape seems increasingly drab. Flashes of bright colors are particularly welcome now, like this American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) that I spotted this past weekend foraging in one of the fields at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Lovely image. The detail in the bird is really sharp. The composition of this photo made me think of Japanese prints.
Thanks, Laura. I love the minimalism of Japanese prints and how the beauty is so subtle. I was so happy with the way the background came out that I was going to let even more of it show, but ended up cropping it a little.
Beautiful image. You really have a gift for capturing nature. Thanks
Beautiful, it is interesting that your Goldfinch is more aptly named than our European Goldfinch that I never found very “gold”. Amelia
I had no idea that a European Goldfinch had different colors than the American one. At this time of the year the “gold” color is faded–in breeding season, it is a bright yellow. (Check out this blog post for a photo of the breeding season plumage https://michaelqpowell.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/american-goldfinch-on-a-cone-flower/).
Amazing shot, love the insect you included in your frame.
Thanks, Charlie. I think it may be a clump of seeds sticking to its bill and not an insect. As far as I know, goldfinches eat mostly seeds and in this case the bird had just placed its face in a seedhead.
I too thought an insect. They are such a beautiful bird, though the males are getting rather pale/less color in our area.
I guess I will have to look a little more closely at the image. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes, “Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect.”
That is a really nice shot, Mike. Very artistic. I’ve seen Goldfinches grab an insect by mistake when they were after something else, so I’m not sure they are all that strict in their vegetarian diet.
This is a beautiful shot of that little seed eater.